4th (Duke of Edinburgh's) Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment
|branch = *The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment|type = Territorial Infantry|role = Home Defence and Territorial support|size = Battalion (3 duplicates in World War I)|command_structure = 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division|garrison_label = Battalion Headquarters|garrison = Trowbridge, Wiltshire|battles = South African War World War I World War II|caption = Cap badge of the 1st Wiltshire RVC}}The 1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers later the 4th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment was a part-time unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) which participated in World War I and World War II before being reduced to a cadre command known as the Royal Wiltshire Territorials. The battalion's lineage was continued into the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire Regiment and later the Royal Rifle Volunteers and finally the Rifles (formed in 2007). History Origins The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. Salisbury Rifle Corps As a result of the invasion scare, the Salisbury Rifle Corps were formed in May 18959, the corps were later sanctioned by the War Office and granted one company and a sub-division. After formation, the company was based in Salibury, Wiltshire and the sub-division based near Downton, Wiltshire which was later in August 1860 expanded to company size. In 1861 the corps joined the 1st Admin Battalion, 1st Wiltshire RVC to become A and B Companies in the new 1st Corps in 1880.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, Location 6629The Militia, Volunteer, and Territorial Army at The Rifles, Berkshire, and Wiltshire Museum website. Volunteer Force In 1861, the Administrative Battalion, Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers were formed and based in Salisbury, Wiltshire.T.F. Mills, [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-so/wi-4.htm 4th Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment all Wiltshire successors], at the Land Forces of Britain, the Empire, and Commonwealth, Archived on 29 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine In 1879 HQ moved to Warminster and in 1880 was consolidated as the 1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers with the following structure; * Corps Headquarters, Warminster * A and B Companies, Salisbury ''- from 1st Wiltshire RVC, raised on 10 August 1859'' * C and D Companies, Trowbridge ''- from 2nd Wiltshire RVC, raised on 16 February 1860'' * E Company, Bradford ''- from 9th Wiltshire RVC, raised on 16 May 1860'' * F Company, Warminster ''- from 10th Wiltshire RVC, raised 5 March 1860'' * G Company, Westbury ''- from 13th Wiltshire RVC, raised 12 March 1860'' * H Company, Wilton ''- from 14th Wiltshire RVC, raised 1 May 1860'' Following the Cardwell Reforms in the 1881, many regiments of the army were merged with another higher number or same county unit to form the new larger 'county regiments'. These regiments would recruit and administer the local units according to their titled (or designated as for the Scottish) regiments. On 1 July 1881 the Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment was formed through the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. Following this new formation, the Royal Wiltshire Regiment of Militia, 1st Wiltshire Volunteer Rifle Corps, and 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment were placed under command of this new regiment.T.F. Mills, The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's), at the Land Forces of Britain, the Empire, and Commonwealth, Archived on 29 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 12 January 2020. As a result of these reformations, the 1st Wiltshire RVC were placed under the regiment as the 1st Volunteer Battalion, yet refused this 'volunteer battalion title', and kept the RVC title until 1908. In 1890 a cadet corps was formed in Salisbury and affiliated with the battalion, but disappeared in 1897. The next year, in 1891, the battalion was renamed as the 1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps. In 1892 just before the outbreak of the Second Boer War, the battalion formed a new 'I' Company based in Tisbury and Mere. In 1900 many over-strength volunteer battalions formed a new cyclist company, after this the new 'K (Cyclist) Company' was formed in Bradford-on-Aven. vignette|200x200px|1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers - A Group of Volunteers on parade on Salisbury Plain, prior to going to South Africa in 1900 South African War During the South African War (also known as the Second Boer War), both of the VRCs recruited to form a composite 'Wiltshire Volunteer Service Company' which served with distinction during the war under the command of Captain Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, Viscount Folkestone who later became honorary colonel of the battalion. After arriving in the area, the company joined the 2nd battalion which was serving in the area at the time.History of the Wiltshire Regiment at The Rifles, Berkshire, and Wiltshire Museum website. Prewar Under the Army reforms introduced by Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane in 1907, the existing auxiliary forces (the Yeomanry and Volunteer forces) were to be combined (with effect from 1 April 1908) as a new organisation to be known as the Territorial Force (TF).Westlake, The Territorials, p. 22 Following the formation of the new TF, both the 1st and 2nd corps were amalgamated into 8 companies reduced from 16, and organised in July 1914 as follows;Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, Location 6630Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, Location 6647Westlake, The Territorials, p. 63H.M. Stationary Office, The July Monthly Army List, 1914 at the Scottish National Library. Retrieved 12 January 2020 * Battalion Headquarters, Trowbridge ''- moved from Warminster in 1909, from 1st RVC'' ** Band of the 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment under Instructor of Music, Honorary Major A J Randell, appointed 1909 * No.1 Group under Captain A Armstrong ** A Company, Salisbury (detachment in Farley) - from 1st Corps ** B Company, Wilton (detachments in Wishford and Barford St Martin) - from 1st Corps ** C Company, Trowbridge (detachment in Steeple Ashton) - from 1st Corps ** D Company, Chippenham (detachment in Calne) - from 1st Corps * No.2 Group under Major H H Willis, VD ** E Company, Devizes (detachments in Lavington and Bromham) - from 1st Corps ** F Company, Warminster (detachments in Westbury, Chitterne, Horningsham, Dilton March, and Heytesbury) - from 2nd Corps ** G Company, Bradford-on-Avon (detachments in Melksham and Holt) - from 2nd Corps ** H Company, Swindon (detachment in Malborough) - from 2nd Corps Following their move into the TF, the corps was amalgamated with the 2nd corps and renamed as the 4th (Duke of Edinburgh's) Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment (V), and also affiliated with the Warminster Cadet Company. The battalion was also placed under No.8 recruiting district which covered; Devonshire, Somersetshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, and Wiltshire.Westlake, The Territorials, p. 258Westlake, 'Territorial units 1914-1918', p. 10 World War I On 4 August 1914 the battalion was at its annual camp in Bulford (Wiltshire) where they were ordered to mobilise and prepare to move overseas. The battalion was at 50% over strength and as a result formed a first and second line battalion. (see below).Westlake, 'Territorial units 1914-1918', pp. 17-8The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) at The Long, Long Trail. 1/4th Battalion India The 1/4th Battalion was formed following the split of the original 4th (Duke of Edinburgh's) Battalion. Following mobilisation, the battalion was assigned to the South Western Brigade which was assigned to the wider 43rd (Wessex) Division and sent to India with the division. After arriving in India, the battalion relieved some of the regular Indian and regular battalions based there so they could be sent to the front-lines. The battalion was then in Gawalmandi by 9 October 1914.1/4th Battalion at the Forces War Records, WW1 Troop Movements and ORABATS for Wiltshire Regiment.Westlake, 'Territorial units 1914-1918', p. 20 After the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) defeat in the first and second Battles of Gaza, both sides had strengthened their forces and their positions. On 4th November 75th Division's positions overlooking Gaza at Sheik Hasan were attacked unsuccessfully, being repelled by heavy machine gun and rifle fire. An EEF advance on 7th November found Gaza largely deserted. Gaza during the Palestine Campaign.]] Following the fall of Beersheba on 31st October, the night time raids of early November and the artillery bombardment of Gaza through the first week of November, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force made a general advance against Gaza on 7th November. Troops from 233rd Infantry Brigade, 75th Division, and the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade following orders to attack Outpost Hill in the early hours of the morning found it undefended. Turkish positions on Green Hill and at the Labyrinth were held only by a handful of defenders and were easily overwhelmed. Palestine Following the capture of Beersheba on 31st October, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in their Southern Palestine Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign had continued to push the Turkish Ottoman Army's Yildirim Army Group northwards towards Jerusalem. The retreat was strung out on an extended 20 miles (32km) front from the Mediterranean coast to the Judean Hills where the Turkish Army staged several rearguard actions. On 13th November, General Allenby ordered that an attack was to be made against enemy units around the villages of El Mughar (El Maghar) and Katrah, before capturing the important railhead at Junction Station, Wadi es Sara, that linked the Turkish Ottoman Eight Army on the coast with their Seventh Army around Jerusalem. In a two stage attack, 75th Division were to take Mesmiye while to the left 52nd (Highland) Division would take Qatra; the second stage would see 75th Division secure Junction Station and 52nd (Highland) Division al-Mansura. The initial advance proceeded well, 2/4th Somerset Light Infantry, 1/5th Devonshire Regiment and 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles (232nd Infantry Brigade) with 1/4th Wiltshire Regiment, 2/5th Hampshire Regiment and 3/3rd Gurkha Rifles (233rd Infantry Brigade) taking their first objectives as did 52nd (Highland) Division. Both Divisions' second objectives were on higher ground, well defended by the Turkish Army, whose machine guns had a wide, clear field of fire in front of Mesmiye. Steadfast advances by 3/3rd Gurkha Rifles and units from 234th Infantry Brigade pushed the enemy back but a Turkish counter-attack caused heavy casualties to 234th Infantry Brigade as they covered 233rd Infantry Brigade's flank, almost one company of 58th Vaughan's Rifles being wiped out. As darkness fell, two cavalry troops from 11th Light Horse Regiment gave much needed impetus to the attack, helping to clear Mesmiye esh Sherqiye and 75th Division's infantry to capture Mesmiye and over 300 prisoners. The final attack against Junction Station was not made until the morning of 14th November when with support from mobile armoured units, 75th Division captured the railway station, two locomotives, a quantity of rolling stock and an intact water pumping station with an unlimited supply of fresh water. With the capture and occupation of Junction Station, Allenby's forces had cut the Jaffa to Jerusalem railway, the Turkish Army's main supply route. Both 52nd (Highland) Division and 75th Division broke from the advance to rest and reorganise, the Yeomanry Mounted Division and Anzac Mounted Division taking up pursuit of the retreating enemy. Following the capture of Jerusalem and Jericho, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) continued their Sinai and Palestine Campaign in early March by pushing the Ottoman Turkish Yildirim Army Group further north on a front from the Mediterranean to the Jordan Valley. Unlike XX Corps who had to advance across rough high ground above the Jordan Valley, XXI Corps' advance against the Ottoman Eighth Army was conducted across high, flat terrain to capture a line to the north of Wadi Deir Ballut and Wadi Abu Lejja, near Arsuf. Supporting 232nd Infantry Brigade and 234th Infantry Brigade of 75th Division, was 162nd Brigade from 54th (East Anglian) Division and artillery units to lay down a creeping barrage and supporting fire. Part of a wider operation to secure high ground occupied by the enemy which overlooked British positions on Ballut Ridge in the Judean Hills. The Turks were in control of three ridges in the Eephraim Mountains, Arara, Rafat and Three Bushes as well as the villages of El Kep and Berukin, both of which were heavily defended. Artillery bombardments subdued the defenders and enabled British troops of XXI Corps, 75th Division, 54th (East Anglian) Division and 10th Division, to capture El Kep on 9th April and Berukin the following day. 232nd Infantry Brigade leading the attack for 75th Division, 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles captured El Kefr, whilst 1/5th Devonshire Regiment attacked Belrukin, capturing it by 16.00pm. A Turkish counter-attack during the night regained part of the village, a renewal of the attack by 1/5th Devonshire and 2/4th Somerset Light Infantry recaptured it after a fierce bout of hand-to-hand fighting the next morning; subsequent Turkish counter-attacks were held off. 75th Division suffered around 1500 casualties in the action at Belrukin. The Battle of Sharon was part of the Battle of Megiddo, a series of actions across the Plain of Sharon, the Judean Hills and the Jordan River crossings that marked the beginning of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's (EEF), Final Offensive of their Sinai and Palestine Campaign. On 19th September a Western Front style artillery bombardment opened the attack as EEF infantry moved up to the front line behind the bombardment. Holding 233rd Infantry Brigade in reserve, 75th Division's 232nd and 234th Brigades advanced less than 50 yards behind the creeping barrage, 234th Infantry Brigade's 1/152nd Indian Infantry and 58th Vaughan's Rifles on the left, 1/4th Wiltshire Regiment and 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles (232nd Infantry Brigade) on the right and two companies of 1/5th Somerset Light Infantry (233rd Infantry Brigade) in the centre. To the right, 232nd Infantry Brigade overran the enemy's main trench line, took Miske and advanced around 5 miles to Et Tire where the supporting South African Field Artillery Brigade took positions. As the infantry consolidated their positions they came under heavy, accurate enemy rifle fire causing hundreds of casualties to members of 1/4th Wiltshire Regiment, 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles and 72nd Punjabis. During the action at Tabsor, 75th Division suffered almost 520 casualties, 232nd Infantry Brigade losing more than 350 most of whom fell in front of Et Tire. Withdrawn from the line following the battle, 75th Division moved into XXI Corps reserve near Et Tire, being employed on road repair and salvage work until the Armistice with the Turkish/Ottoman forces was signed on 31st October. Egypt 75th Division was concentrated in the Lydda area. Between 2nd and 10th December 1918 the Division moved back to Qantara (Al Qantara Sharq) and was there in early 1919 when the process of demobilisation started. However this was halted on 20th February 1919 when the Division was notified that it had been chosen for the Army of Occupation in Egypt. 2/4th Battalion In accordance for the plan for relieving the units of the regular Army from garrison duty in India, in November 1914, the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division was informed it was to sail to India. Embarking at Southampton on 12th December, the division disembarked at Bombay between 4th and 8th January 1915.2/4th Battalion at the Forces War Records, WW1 Troop Movements and ORABATS for Wiltshire Regiment.Westlake, 'Territorial units 1914-1918', pp. 21 Other than 2/4th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and 2/4th Hampshire Regiment who transshipped at Aden for Karachi, disembarking on 9th January. On arrival in India the division was allocated to various stations throughout the country including; Kirkee, Secunderbad, Bangalore, Bombay, Poona, Ahmednagar, Karachi, Quetta, Wellington and Meiktilia. The division continued its training in India, with some mishaps. In some battalions the rifles they had brought out from England were unfit for use, and consequently these units were unable to carry out any musketry training until they were provided with second-hand rifles from 43rd Wessex Division once they were issued with new ones towards the end of 1915. Similarly the artillery found that the obturator pads on half of the guns they had brought out were useless and were unable to use them until these were replaced from England. Once the men had been trained, they began to send drafts to reinforce the units on the other fronts, particularly Mesopotamia and Palestine. The 45th (2nd Wessex) Division remained in India until the end of the war. 4th (Reserve) Battalion In March 1915 the 3/4th Battalion was formed in Trowbridge, Wiltshire and after consolidating moved to Bournemouth. On 8 April 1916 the battalion was renamed as the 4th (Reserve) Battalion and by September 1916 moved to Hursley Park and then Bournemouth in October. The battalion then saw two more moves Sutton veny (Feb 1917) and Larkhill (Oct 1917) and finally Dublin in May 1918. Interwar In 1919 the last elements of the battalion and duplicates were either disbanded (for the duplicates) and placed in suspended animation (1st line). The only remaining unit was the 2/4th battalion which was in India and not relieved until 1920 when it was finally disbanded. On 7 February 1920 the Territorial Army (TA) was formed from the now disbanded Territorial Force, and as a result the new 4th Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment was formed in Trowbridge. After reformation, the battalion was organised as a four company battalion and had the following; * Headquarters Company ** Battalion Headquarters ** Signals Platoon, Royal Corps of Signals ** Mechanised Transportation Platoon ** Mortar Mechanised Platoon ** Anti-Aircraft Section (Platoon size), Royal Artillery ** Engineering Platoon ** Supply Platoon * A Company ** Company HQ ** 1st Platoon (HQ & 3 Sections) ** 2nd Platoon ^^ ** 3rd Platoon ^^ * B Company (see above) * C Company (see above) * D Company (see above) World War II The 4th battalion was the original TA battalion based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire which was organised as an infantry battalion. When the TA was doubled in the spring of 1939, the battalion formed the 5th battalion as a duplicate, and both were assigned to the 129th Infantry Brigade within the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division Order of Battle at the British Military History.com The 5th battalion was formed after the announcement to duplicate the TA, and based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire along with the 4th. The battalion would see the same service as the 4th, therefore will be shown here together. Mobilisation and Training The TA was mobilised on the outbreak of war in September 1939 and the battalion began training in its home area. In May 1940 it was preparing to go overseas to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, but the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May ended the 'Phoney War' before the division was ready. When the Battle of France was lost and the BEF was being evacuated from Dunkirk, the battalion's command, 43rd (W) Division, was one of the few reasonably well-equipped formations left in Home Forces to counter a German invasion of the United Kingdom. It formed part of the mobile GHQ Reserve disposed on the line from Northampton through North London to Aldershot, from which brigade groups could be despatched to any threatened area. During the period when invasion was most threatened, the division was stationed just north of London.Joslen, pp. 69-70Southern Command order of battle, 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Collier, Map 5.43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division badge and history at the Imperial War Museum.Collier, Chapter VII, 'The Stocktaking (May, 1940)'.Collier, Map 17.Collier, Map 27. By the end of 1940 the division was stationed under XII Corps in East Kent, where it remained for the next four years, first in defensive mode, later training intensively. It was later noted that its habitual training area round Stone Street, Kent, bore a marked resemblance to the Bocage countryside in Normandy where it would later fight. In 1942, however, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the entrance of the United States into the war, the situation changed and the 43rd Division started training for offensive operations to return to mainland Europe. Operation Overlord XII Corps and 43rd (Wessex) Division were assigned to 21st Army Group for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord). They were follow-up formations, with 43rd (Wessex) Division scheduled to complete its landings 14 days after D Day (D +14, 20 June). However, shipping delays and a storm between 19 and 22 June delayed its arrival; the division finally concentrated round Bayeux on 24 June. Hill 112 The division's first major offensive action of its own was Operation Jupiter, to take Hill 112, which had been briefly captured by British armour during 'Epsom' but had to be abandoned. The attack on 10 July was supported by all the divisional artillery and mortars, plus the artillery of 15th (Scottish) Division and 11th Armoured Division and 3rd and 8th Army Groups Royal Artillery (AGRAs). In the first phase 129th Brigade on the right, with all three battalions in line, and 130th Brigade on the left with one battalion, were to capture the hill and the road from it to Château de Fontaine. They were supported by Churchill tanks from 31st Tank Brigade. Then, while 129th Brigade formed a secure south-west flank, 130th Brigade and Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tanks from 79th Armoured Division were to advance from Château de Fontaine to capture Eterville and Maltot and the high ground to the south-east. Finally, 214th Brigade in Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers accompanied by 4th Armoured Brigade was supposed to break through to the River Orne and seize bridgeheads.Ellis, Normandy, pp. 317-8 The division had to hold its positions under mortar fire for another 14 days, described by the commander of 214th Brigade as comparable only 'to the bombardment at Passchendaele'. This defence was followed by a final set-piece attack, Operation Express, in which 4th and 5th Wiltshires and 7th RTR succeeded in capturing Maltot on 22 July.Saunders, Hill 112, pp. 51–160, 165–76. Mount Pinçon At 08.00 on 5 August, 4th Wiltshires moved out with B Squadron 13th/18th Royal Hussars, picking their way through the narrow lanes, while A Sqn took a parallel route carrying 5th Wiltshires. 4th Wiltshires found a bridge blown and went ahead without their tanks towards the strongly-held village of St Jean-le-Blanc, breaking up a counter-attack by calling down artillery fire. About 16.00 the battalion pioneers managed to bridge the stream and a Troop of B Sqn crossed, but withdrew to 'harbour' at dusk. Meanwhile 5th Wiltshires got to the bridge over the Druance at the foot of Mont Pinçon but failed to capture it by the end of the day. Generals Ivor Thomas and Brian Horrocks (who had just taken command of XXX Corps) were anxious to push on, and had already cancelled Operation Blackwater, designed to reach the River Noireau, because it was too risky with Mont Pinçon still in enemy hands.Essame, pp. 64–6.Hunt, pp. 93–106.Buckley, pp. 159–60.Christopherson, p. 415.Ellis, Normandy, p. 402.Essame, pp. 66–7.Hunt, p. 107.McKee, p. 344–6. A new attack was planned for 6 August, with 130th Brigade making a feint to the north, while 129th Brigade continued from the west. In the end, the dominating position fell to a surprise attack. 4th Somerset Light Infantry and the reduced 5th Wiltshires fought their way forward through sweltering weather all day. 5th Wiltshires secured the crossroads at La Variniere and 4th Wiltshires was due to pass through them, when at about 18.00 A Sqn 13th/18th Hussars managed to get two Troops up a steep track to the top of the hill. By 18.30, seven Shermans were on the summit, attempting to mount an all-round defence and calling for infantry support. A staff officer ran up to Lt-Gen Horrocks at XXX Corps HQ, shouting 'We've got it, sir!' As fog descended on the hill, the 4th Wiltshires and the rest of A and B Sqns of the Hussars picked their way up the almost undefended track, followed by 4th Somerset LI. By daybreak the summit was firmly held, despite heavy German bombardment, and 5th Wiltshires and C Sqn still held the crossroads below. 214th Brigade relieved the exhausted troops that morning.Buckley, pp. 167–8.Ellis, Normandy, pp. 409–10.Essame, pp. 67–72.Horrocks, pp. 189–90.Hunt, pp. 93–130, 139–44.McKee, pp. 349–50. Across the Rhine 43rd (Wessex) Division was given a follow-up task in the assault crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder). Its leading brigade crossed the river on 25 March behind 51st (Highland) Division, which had carried the assault on the night of 23/24 March. It found itself in immediate combat, but had broken through by 29 March.Ellis, Germany, pp. 293–4.Essame, pp. 233–40.Horrocks, pp. 261–2. During the subsequent pursuit, 43rd (Wessex) Division was given the task of opening 'Club Route' for XXX Corps. The division was divided into five battle groups for the first drive, incorporating units of 8th Armoured Brigade. The advance began on 30 March: German rearguards were either overcome or bypassed, and the Twente Canal was crossed, with troops of 129th Infantry Bde and 8th Armoured Bde liberating Lochem on 1–2 April. The pursuit continued through April and ended with the capture of Bremen and XXX Corps' drive into the Cuxhaven peninsula. Hostilities ended on 5 May after the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath.Ellis, Germany, pp. 311–6, 339–40.Essame, pp. 241–70.Horrocks, p. 266. After a period as occupation forces in XXX Corps' district, 43rd (Wessex) Division's HQ and TA units were demobilised at the war's end. Throughout the North West Europe Campaign the 43rd (Wessex) Division, like so many other Allied divisions that fought from Normandy to Germany, had suffered very heavy casualties with the majority of them, 80% in some units, being suffered by the average Tommy in the infantry battalions. After demobilisation in 1946, the battalion was placed in suspended animation.Essame, Appendix D. Postwar The TA was reconstituted from 1 January 1947 and its units and formations including 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division were reformed. On that same date, the battalion was reformed as the 4th (V) Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment and organised as follows;Graham Watson, United Kingdom: The Territorial Army 1947 at Orders of Battle info page.Alan Young, Territorial Army - Infantry, Wiltshire Regiment at British Army units from 1945 on. * Battalion Headquarters at Trowbridge * A Company at Salisbury * B Company at Trowbridge * C Company at Chippenham * D Company at Swindon After formation, the battalion was placed under command of the 129th Infantry Brigade along with the 4th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry and the 5th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. On 9 June 1959 the battalion was transferred as a result of the 1957 Defence White Paper to The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment without a change of title. Eventually in 1967 as a result of the reductions to the TA the previous year from the 1966 Defence White Paper, the battalion was reduced to a two company sized battalion known as The Royal Wiltshire Territorials. The battalion's successor is currently Swindon Platoon, B Company, 7th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Rifles (V). Officers Honorary Colonels * 1866–1895, John Alexander Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath * 1895–1922, Aldernon Saint Maur, 15th Duke of Somerset, TD * 1922–1930, Honorary Brigadier General Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 6th Earl of Radnor, CIE, CBE, TD * 1930–1948, Colonel, the Honorable Sir George Sidney Herbert, Baronet, TD, ADC *1948–1956, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Houghton-Brown, DSO, TD * 1956–1967, Colonel (Honorary Brigadier) Edward Lancelot Luce, DSO, OBE, TD, DL Commanding Officers * 1914, Honorary Captain Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 6th Earl of Radnor TD, appointed 1903 Citations See also * The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment * 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division References * Ray Westlake, Tracing the Rifle Volunteers 1859–1908 A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Pen & Sword Family History, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, * Ray Westlake, The Territorials 1908–1914 A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Pen & Sword Books Limited, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, * Ray Westlake, British Territorial Units 1914–1918, Men-at-Arms Series, Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, United Kingdom, * Andrew Rawson, The British Army 1914-1918, RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk, * Richard A. Rinaldi, Order of Battle of the British Army 1914, Tiger Lilly Books a division of General Data LLC, * Bruce I Gudmundsson, The British Army on the Western Front 1916, Battle Orders series, Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, United Kingdom, ISBN 978-174603-111-3 * Major Archibald F. Becke, Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1, The Regular British Divisions, The Naval and Military Press Ltd, Uckfield, East Sussex, United Kingdom, ISBN 1-847347-38-X * Major General Reginald Francis Heaton Nalder, CB, OBE, The Royal Corps of Signals, A History of its Antecendents and Development (circa 1800–1955), Royal Signals Institution, London, * Martin Brayley, The British Army 1939–45 (1) North-West Europe, Men-at-Arms Series, Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, United Kingdom, * Lieutenant Colonel H. F. Joslen, Orders of Battle Second World War 1939–1945, Reprinted by permission of Her Majesty's Stationary Office, Westminster, London, * Charles D. Pettibone, The Organisation and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume II - The British Commonwealth, Trafford Publishing, Victoria, British Columbia, * Basil Collier, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom, London: HM Stationery Office, 1957. * John Buckley, Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe, London: Yale University Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0-300-13449-0. * Maj-Gen H. Essame, The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944–45, London: William Clowes, 1952. * Ken Ford, Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944, 2nd Edn, Bradford: Pen & Sword, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84884-576-3. * George Forty, British Army Handbook 1939–1945, Stroud: Sutton, 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1403-3. * Eric Hunt, Battleground Europe: Normandy: Mont Pinçon, Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 2003, ISBN 0-85052-944-1. * Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far, London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974/Coronet 1975, ISBN 0-340-19941-5. * Tim Saunders, Battleground Europe: Normandy: Operation Epsom: Normandy, June 1944, Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2003, ISBN 0-85052-954-9. * Tim Saunders, Battleground Europe: Normandy: Hill 112, Battles of the Odon – 1944, Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2000, ISBN 978-0-85052-737-7. External links * Major Robert Dwarris Gibney, The History of the 1st Batt. Wilts Volunteers, from 1861 to 1885, (pdf) London, 1888. *Vly Club *4th Wiltshire's WW2 Living History Group Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Category:Military units and formations established in 1920 Category:Military units and formations established in 1946 Category:Military units and formations established in 1947 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1961 Category:Territorials battalions of the British Army Category:Battalions of the British Army Category:Infantry battalions of the British Army